Name: LaRonde Zone 5 (LZ5) mine.

Location: The LZ5 mine, formerly referred to as Bousquet Zone 5, is on the Bousquet property, about 2.5 km west of the Penna shaft on the LaRonde mine property, in Quebec, Canada.

Mine Owner/s: Agnico Eagle.

Brief Description: LZ5, formerly known as Bousquet Zone 5, is an underground gold mine located on the La Ronde mine property.

Brief History: Following the completion of a positive internal technical study, the LZ5 mine was approved for development as an underground operation in February 2017, and achieved commercial operation on June 1, 2018.

Primary Metals: Gold.

Secondary Metals: Not stated.

Geology/Mineralisation: The LZ5 deposit is located in the southern portion of the Archean-age Abitibi volcanic belt, within the Bousquet formation of the Blake river group of volcanic rocks. The deposit occurs within the east-west-trending Doyon-Bousquet-LaRonde mining camp, which includes the Mouska, Doyon, Bousquet 1, Bousquet 2 and LaRonde gold deposits. The most important regional structure is the Cadillac-Larder lake fault zone, located about 2 km south of the Bousquet property.

The LaRonde Zone 5 horizon comprises a 4-m- to 30-m-thick horizon of disseminated to stringer sulphide mineralisation, containing 5% to 20% pyrite and traces of chalcopyrite with rare millimetre-wide grains of visible gold. The LZ5 horizon has a very large geological footprint and has been estimated to contain a mass of more than 26-million tonnes. The LZ5 horizon can be followed more than 900 m of east-west strike length over the Bousquet property and another 400 m on the Ellison property for a total strike length of 1 300 m. LZ5 has been traced vertically for almost 1 000 m showing a steep dip to the south-west. In an enlarged area of LZ5, there is gold enrichment near the margins of the economic envelope. LZ5 includes two high-grade portions named Zone 5 Footwall and Zone 5 Hanging Wall.

Reserves: Total proven and probable reserves as at December 31, 2019, were estimated at 9.29-million tonnes grading 2.3 g/t gold.

Resources: Total measured and indicated resources as at December 31, 2019, were estimated at 8.47-million tonnes grading 2.3 g/t gold. Inferred resources were estimated at 4.7-million tonnes grading 4.04 g/t gold.

Mining Method: The LZ5 is mined from underground ramp access, using longitudinal retreat with past backfill, and transverse open stoping with paste or unconsolidated backfill.

Major Infrastructure and Equipment: The LaRonde mine is the site of the 2 000 t/d LaRonde Zone 5 ore processing plant. The plant comprises a two-stage grinding circuit to reduce the granularity of the ore. The residual pulp is leached in a conventional carbon-in-leach circuit to dissolve the balance of the precious metal. A carbon strip circuit recovers the gold from the carbon, which is recycled to the leach circuit. LaRonde Zone 5 gold recovery is estimated at 92%.

A new paste plant dedicated to this zone was commissioned in the second quarter of 2018.

Prospects: None stated.

Contact Details:
Agnico Eagle
Tel +1 416 947 1212
Email info@agnicoeagle.com
Website https://www.agnicoeagle.com